<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40" xmlns:v = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m = "http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml"><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16525" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE>  </STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY lang=EN-US vLink=purple link=blue> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=718500018-29082007><FONT color=#000080>Dave,</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=718500018-29082007><FONT color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=718500018-29082007><FONT color=#000080>An anecdote:</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=718500018-29082007><FONT color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=718500018-29082007><FONT color=#000080>When I worked for Young Chang we had an employee with very precise "perfect pitch," meaning that he could sing pitches very accurately with no reference.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=718500018-29082007><FONT color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=718500018-29082007><FONT color=#000080>When I would tune pianos I would sometimes ask him in passing to let me know if a note was sharp or flat.  I once tuned one string of A4 to 441, and the other to 440, then asked him which was correct.  He could easily tell which was sharp and which was flat, but he had trouble deciding which was "correct."  He first said he couldn't tell, but he thought the 441 string was correct.  After I tuned (with the A at 440) he walked through the room later and played the note, and said, OK, this sounds correct to me - the sharp one before must have been set too high.</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=718500018-29082007><FONT color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=718500018-29082007><FONT color=#000080>So, the exact pitch level is really learned, and even the best ears acquire what 'A' should be from hearing music.  In my opinion, if we consistently hear 442 because we like listening to an orchestra that tunes there, then I think that will sound correct to the most sensitive musical ear.  </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=718500018-29082007><FONT color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=718500018-29082007><FONT color=#000080>I have other anecdotes - like the relatively well known choral director who walked through Kawai's showroom after I had tuned about 6 pianos, and commented emphatically that A4 was flat when he tried one.  Then he checked the other pianos, and said, "Well, who tuned these pianos! All of the As are flat!!"</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=718500018-29082007><FONT color=#000080></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=718500018-29082007><FONT color=#000080>Don Mannino</FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000080 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left> <HR tabIndex=-1> <FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> caut-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:caut-bounces@ptg.org] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Porritt, David<BR><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, August 29, 2007 9:46 AM<BR><B>To:</B> caut@ptg.org<BR><B>Subject:</B> [CAUT] Pitch recognition<BR></FONT><BR></DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV class=Section1> <P class=MsoNormal>We’ve had this discussion here before about how accurate people’s pitch recognition can be.  I’ve been challenged to create a test to see if some really can tell the difference between 440 & 442.  I have not done that yet but I’d love to.<o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal>We did have something happen yesterday that got my attention.  Our Wind Ensemble director stopped by after their rehearsal yesterday to tell me that the concert grand had gone sharp.  He said “I don’t have perfect pitch but as soon as Sam hit the A to tune the group I recognized that it was sharp”.  This was the first thing they did before any rehearsing was done.  I went in to check it and the A did sound high to me so I got out my pocket PC and measured.  A was at 440.69Hz.  The conductor recognized it.  I recognized it.  Not everyone would, but more people that we generally think will pick up on differences that small.<o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal>dave<o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal>________________________________<o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal>David M. Porritt, RPT<o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal>Meadows School of the Arts<o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal>Southern Methodist University<o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal>Dallas, TX 75275<o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal>dporritt@smu.edu<o:p></o:p></P> <P class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></P></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>